Gigabyte is launching a new flagship Z390 chipset-based motherboard under its AORUS brand. The aptly-named Z390 AORUS Xtreme ratchets up the aesthetics, power delivery, connectivity, and the RGB Fusion to prepare for Intel’s newest 9th Generation Core processors including the eight core Core i9 9900K.

The AORUS Xtreme uses a 16-phase Digital IR power phase design that can self-balance to reduce clocks of VRM controller and heat generated by the various phases especially under heavy overclocking scenarios. Gigabyte continues to include its Fins-Array heatsinks though they have been upgraded to four direct touch heatpipes to help cool the VRM areas. There is also a massive backplate and coating on the underside of the PCB to help dissipate heat though in practice it’s likely more for aesthetics than anything. The LGA 1151 socket is paired with four DDR4 DIMM slots. Sitting below the processor are three PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots, two PCI-E 3.0 x1 slots, and three PCI-E 3.0 x4 M.2 (or SATA) slots with Thermal Guard heatsinks. Further, there are six SATA 6 Gpbs ports in the bottom right corner. As far as power delivery, the board has two 8-pin CPU power connectors, a right-angle solid pin 24-pin ATX connector, and a 6-pin PCI-E connector to provide auxiliary slot power for graphics cards.

Preview and Technical Specifications

Introduction

Courtesy of GIGABYTE

Courtesy of GIGABYTE

With the release of Intel's lastest consumer-oriented chipset, the Z390, GIGABYTE released the details of their Z390 board line. GIGABYTE's initial sampling to PC Perspective was their Z390 AORUS Pro motherboard, featuring a matte black PCB and an armored rear panel assembly and an integrated rear panel shield. In keeping with their previous AORUS series board designs, GIGABYTE spread RGB LEDs throughout the board's surface, configurable via the Windows applet. The board offers support for the latest Intel 9th genation processors (as well as maintaining support for the 8th generation processors) and Dual Channel DDR4 memory via the Intel Z390 chipset.

The following features have been integrated into the board: six SATA III 6Gbps ports; two M.2 PCIe Gen3 x4 32Gbps capable ports; an RJ-45 port featuring an Intel I219-V Gigabit NIC; three PCI-Express x16 slots; three PCI-Express x1 slots; a Realtek ALC1220-VB Audio CODEC; an integrated HDMI video port; and USB 2.0, 3.0, and 3.1 Type-A and Type-C port support.

Courtesy of GIGABYTE

Courtesy of GIGABYTE

To power the board, GIGABYTE integrated integrated a 13-phase (12+1) digital power delivery system into the Z390 AORUS Pro board's design. The digital power system was designed with an IR Digital PWM Controller and DrMOS ICs, high grade choke, and all-metal long-life capacitors. The power circuitry and board trace design works together to give the board its excellent overclockability when used in combination with the Intel 9th generation processors.

Introduction and Features

Introduction

Gigabyte recently introduced two new power supplies to their premium AORUS line of gaming products. The AORUS P850W and AORUS P750W are both fully modular power supplies and certified to comply with the 80 Plus Gold certifications for high efficiency. The power supplies use a 135mm smart ball bearing fan for cooling that turns off during system idle or under low loads. Both power supplies feature high-quality components including 100% Japanese made capacitors and come backed by a 10-year warranty!

We will be taking a detailed look at the Gigabyte AORUS P850W power supply in this review.

Here is what Gigabyte has to say about their new AORUS power supplies:

“The new P850W and P750W bring up 80 PLUS® Gold power efficiency silent operation, as well as modular customization, and enhanced durability for gaming enthusiasts, especially those with multiple-GPU builds focused on VR gaming. 80 PLUS® Gold certified, the AORUS PSU delivers superior electrical performance at a minimum of 90% energy efficiency, ensuring power waste is kept at a minimum. With less heat and reduced fan noise, gamers with AORUS PSUs can enjoy cool and quiet gaming environment. With optimal support for Intel® processors, the power supply is also ideal for achieving reduced energy.

Using 100% Japanese capacitors and premium internal components throughout the design, the AORUS PSU provides users with extended product reliability and lifespan. The single +12V rail ensures the best power output with stability for the hardware, making this power supply ideal for overclocking. The 135mm temperature-controlled smart fan is automatically adjusted according to the actual power usage so even when the power usage is lower than 20%, the fan will automatically activate the stop function to ensure energy saving and stable power supply. The fan uses an ultra-durable double ball bearing design, which offers prolonged product life over 50,000 hours.”

It was only a matter of time before launches of custom Turing cards started rolling out, and Gigabyte’s Aorus brand is readying a custom RTX 2080 Xtreme 8G graphics card that pairs the Turing GPU with improved power delivery, the company’s WindForce Stack 3X cooler, and seven display outputs.

The Aorus GeForce RTX 2080 Xtreme 8G features a 12+2 power phase (versus the reference design’s 8+2) that is fed by two 8-pin PCI-E power connectors. The WindForce Stack 3X cooler includes a hefty fin stack with multiple heat pipes that make direct contact with the GPU as well as a metal plate that make contact with the memory chips and MOSFETs. The three 100mm fans are wrapped in a rather angular and aggressive fan shroud that includes an Aorus logo on the side of the card as well as on the metal backplate. There are LEDs on the power connectors that indicate state and error codes along with the usual fare of RGB LEDs around the fans and Aorus logo with 12 preset lighting patterns. Measuring 59.9x290x134.31mm, the card is a bit over two slots and appears to offer quite a bit of cooling potential.

Display outputs include three DisplayPort, three HDMI, and one VirtualLink USB Type-C connection. Enthusiasts can use up to four traditional DisplayPort or HDMI ouptuts (any combination) along with the VirtualLink output simultaneously.

Gigabyte has not yet released clockspeed information for the TU-104 GPU and its 2944 CUDA cores or its 8GB of GDDR6 memory which sits on a 256-bit bus (448 GB/s). Unfortunately, the company is also not yet talking pricing on this beast, though you can expect it to come in at a premium versus the company’s current cards that are based around the NVIDIA reference design. I am interested to see how this and other custom PCB cards overclock and how that stacked fan cooler performs with regards to noise and the claims of increased airflow.

Gigabyte is gearing up for AMD’s Threadripper 2 processors with the launch of the X399 Aorus Xtreme motherboard which represents the company’s new flagship model for the TR4 socket. The new high end motherboard has been souped-up a bit to support the higher TDP Threadripper 2 processors with a beefed up 10+3 digital power phase and active cooling for the VRMs while also featuring RGB Fusion and modern I/O connectivity options for internal and external components. Gigabyte’s new flagship will be available soon with MSRP pricing of $449.

The X399 Aorus Xtreme motherboard nestles the TR4 socket in the middle of eight DDR4 DIMM slots (quad channel up to 3466 MHz or 3600+ when overclocking). Along the top edge of the motherboard are 10 50A IR3578 digital power phases with high current mosfets for vCore and there are 3 more phases in the left corner of the board (between the DIMM slot and rear IO) for SOC power. The digital IR power phases are cooled by a direct touch heat pipe where the mosfets make contact using new 5W/mK thermal pads on the top side and also reportedly a bit more cooling from a “nano carbon” baseplate on the underside of the motherboard PCB. The heatpipe runs through one passive and one actively cooled fins array heatsink that uses two 30mm fans hidden under the rear IO armor. The board is powered by two 8-pin CPU power, one 24-pin ATX, and one six pin PCI-E power connectors.

The motherboard further features four PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots, one PCI-E 2.0 x1 slot, three M.2 (PCI-E 3.0 NVMe) slots (two 22110 and one 2280), and six SATA ports. The motherboard supports 4-way graphics card setups with the cards running at x16/x8/x16/x8.

Onboard controllers include audio from Realtek, three Ethernet NICs, and a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth radios. The Aorus AMP UP audio uses a Realtek ALC1220-VB audio codec paired with an ESS 9118EQ SABRE DAC and Nichicon capacitors and gold-plated audio jacks. As for the networking, the board has a single 10 Gigabit Ethernet NIC from Aquantia, two Intel i220AT Gigabit Ethernet NICs, and Intel wireless controller for dual band 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.2.

Rear I/O on the X399 Aorus Xtreme includes:

Two physical buttons for power/reset and clear CMOS

8x USB 3.0 Type-A

2x USB 3.1 (1x Type-A, 1x Type-C)

6x Audio (5x 3.5mm analog, 1x optical S/PDIF)

Of course, no high-end enthusiast motherboard would be complete without RGB, and the X399 Aorus Xtreme has that in spades with built in RGB on the heatsinks and multiple headers for adding even more RGB. The RGB Fusion includes two addressable RGB LED headers and two standard RGBW LED headers. The board also has multiple fan and hybrid cooling headers scattered throughout as part of Gigabyte’s Smart Fan 5 suite.

I am looking forward to the reviews of this and other Threadripper 2 motherboards and in seeing how the beefed up cooling and power might help both second and first generation Threadripper processors especially if overclocking!

Introduction and Technical Specifications

Introduction

Courtesy of GIGABYTE

The GIGABYTE X470 AORUS Gaming 7 WIFI board features a matte black PCB with with a black armor overlay protecting the rear panel and audio components, as well as an integrated rear panel shield. In keeping with their previous AORUS series board designs, GIGABYTE spread RGB LEDs throughout the board's surface, configurable via the UEFI or the windows app. The board supports the AMD Ryzen 2 series processor line and Dual Channel DDR4 memory via the AMD X470 chipset. The X470 AORUS Gaming 7 WiFi motherboard can be found at most retailers with an MRSP of $239.99

To power the board, GIGABYTE integrated integrated a 12-phase (10+2) digital power delivery system into the X470 AORUS Gaming 7 WIFI board's design. The digital power system was designed with IR digital power controllers and PowIRstage ICs, Server Level Chokes, and Durable Black capacitors. The power components used are the same as those used to great effect on their AORUS Intel boards.

Courtesy of GIGABYTE

GIGABYTE integrated a variety of fan headers and temperature sensors into the board They integrated temperature sensors into the CPU socket, VRMs, and chipset. Additionally, there are monitored fan headers spread throughout the board's surface, all supporting high current devices (fans or water pumps), rated for up to 24W (2A at 12V).

Aorus have added new audio in the form of the ALC1220 SNR HD Audio with Smart
Headphone Amp which will detect the impedance on your headphones and adjust the power automatically. Smart Fan 5 with FAN STOP along with the M.2 thermal guards should keep your temperatures under control as well as the sound levels. As you would expect there are an impressive array of coloured LEDs as well as software to control them.

Bucking the trend lately to make determining what a product is by reading the name, Aorus included this slide in their deck to help you translate the various models quickly. As the B450 series is intended to be a less expensive choice, prices matter and as you can see below, just before the PR, they are quite attractive.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the release of the new B450 AORUS Motherboard series. These new models support the full spectrum of AMD Ryzen processors and boast innovative technologies, including AMD StoreMI as a way to accelerate traditional HDDs to speed levels only found in SSDs. Premium details such as the integrated I/O shield, next-gen Wi-Fi and USB Type-C connectivity enhance the user experience. A new armor design highlights the contours of the AORUS falcon while providing an advanced cooling solution for one of the most critical areas of the motherboard.

With this launch, GIGABYTE is also introducing a new naming scheme for the AORUS models. It better represents model hierarchy using terminology more familiar to gamers with B450 AORUS PRO and B450 AORUS ELITE as the top options based on the B450 chipset from AMD.

With dual M.2 design and two M.2 thermal guards, the arsenal of connectivity options extends to the realm of what is typically reserved for high-end enthusiast platforms. This feature is quintessential for reaching and maintaining the highest storage performance possible without worrying about thermal throttling.

B450 AORUS PRO WIFI and B450 I AORUS PRO WIFI feature blazing fast Intel Dual Band 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Despite its compact form factor, the Mini-ITX model steps it up even further with the added benefits of Intel Dual Band 802.11ac Wave 2 technology.

The updated ALC1220-VB audio codec paired with WIMA and Chemicon audio capacitors guarantee a superb onboard audio experience able to provide a whole new universe of immersion while playing games, watching movies or enjoying music. The clarity of voice communication is has also been upgraded, particularly when using the front microphone jack where the SNR is now improved to 110dB(A).

The feature-rich back panel of B450 AORUS motherboards offers all the latest connectivity options, including USB 3.1 Gen2 with both Type-C and Type-A connectors. The I/O shield is now integrated on the motherboard to preserve the premium AORUS look at all times and taking users' convenience in consideration.

Smart Fan 5 with Fan Stop is the highly acclaimed cooling technology found on these motherboards and, it plays a crucial role in cooling the motherboard along with all other components during intensive loading scenarios. Multiple hybrid fan headers and temperature sensors placed along the motherboard are the core of this technology and work in tandem with a powerful software suite to give users full control over their thermal solutions.

B450 AORUS Motherboards offer an unbelievable level of customization. Powered by the advanced RGB Fusion lighting system which offers multiple programmable LED illuminated zones, stunning effects, and 16.8 million colors. Added support for 12V and 5V digital LED strips via 4-pin headers provide endless possiblities to make each computer look unique.

Signature GIGABYTE Ultra Durable components such as PCIe armor, where proprietary metal shielding enhances the strength of the slots to support heavy graphics cards and DualBIOS, the leading protection against common BIOS failures, reinforces the ability of these motherboards to withstand the test of time.

The initial lineup of B450 AORUS Motherboards consists of the B450 AORUS PRO WIFI, the B450 AORUS PRO and the B450 AORUS ELITE using the ATX form factor, B450 AORUS M as the mATX solution, and B450 I AORUS PRO WIFI for Mini-ITX.

Gigabyte have launched the first Aorus branded PSU, the P850W 80 PLUS GOLD modular PSU. The caps inside are rated over 20 years @ 25C and are cooled by a 135mm, two ball bearing fan which is able to run silently when the PSU is at 20% load or lower. They have chosen to use a single 12V rail, which is a superior solution overall.

The PSU offers OCP, OTP, OVP, OPP, UVP and SCP protection and offers a 10 year warranty. Take a look at the full PR below or visit the site.

City of Industry, California, 16th July, 2018 - GIGABYTE, the world’s leading premium hardware brand, today announced the release of AORUS P850W and P750W, the first PC power supplies (PSUs) from its premium AORUS brand. The new P850W and P750W feature 80 PLUS Gold power efficiency and silent operation. They are fully modular withenhanced durability for gaming enthusiasts, especially those with multiple-GPU builds focused on VR gaming.

With 80 PLUS Gold certification, AORUS PSU deliver superior electrical performance at a minimum of 90% energy efficiency, ensuring power waste is kept at a minimum. With less heat and reduced fan noise, gamers with AORUS PSUs can enjoy a cool and quiet gaming environment.

Using 100% Japanese capacitors and premium internal components throughout the design, AORUS PSU provide users with extended product reliability and lifespan. The single +12V rail ensures the best power output and stability making this power supply ideal for overclocking. The 135mm temperature-controlled smart fan is automatically adjusted according to the actual power usage. When the power usage is lower than 20%, the fan will automatically activate the stop function to ensure energy saving and stable power supply. The fan uses an ultra-durable double ball bearing design, which offers prolonged product life over 50,000 hours.

AORUS P850W and P750W power supplies have built-in OVP/OPP/SCP/UVP/OCP/OTP circuit protection designs and have undergone rigorous testing of various safety regulations in multiple countries.

The boards will ship with Gigabyte's M.2 Thermal Guard installed which leads one to surmise that these are not permanently connected to the motherboard similar to how a BGA processor is installed but are instead already installed in an M.2 slot. Regardless of how they attached it, you get the benefits of Optane memory right from the beginning, which is not a bad thing in any way.

This is not their first bundle, you can still grab an Ultra Gaming + 32GB Optane on Amazon, which gives us an idea of the price. Lets hope we don't see branding which describes the board as coming with 32GB of RAM already installed as this could lead to a lot of disappointment for someone who didn't pick up any DDR4.

You can see the effect of using Optane memory on your computer in Ken's review.